The Eternal Rocks Beneath
by jnharrow
Summary: William Pratt is a bookish young man who has has recently moved from England to Sunnydale. Buffy Summers is failing English. What will William teach her?
1. Introductions in a Library

Chapter 1 – Introductions in a Library

_The title is from a Wuthering Heights quote (author Emily Brontë) "My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods. Time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees - my love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath - a source of little visible delight, but necessary." _

_I chose the title in a hurry last August when I started this and have been regretting it ever since. It's pretty over dramatic and the story got away and went in a completely different direction than I'd planned. But that's been the title since it was first posted, so, I guess it stays!_

William was in the library. Of all the places in his new school, he felt most at home there. It was dark and cool and smelled pleasantly of books. Oh, he knew most people wouldn't think books had a smell to them, but they did. They had distinct sounds as well.

New books smelled pleasantly of fresh paper and ink. The feel of opening a new book for the first time and reverently leafing through its smooth, untouched pages was a particular pleasure for William. Older books were slightly musty and often had the indefinable scent that said 'library'. He had a fondness for these too, even for the plastic library covers that crackled agreeably when opened. His textbooks were thick and heavy and slightly banged up from past owners and their thin, slick pages made soft swooshing noises under his hands as he turned them.

No matter that he was in a completely different country from that of his birth, the books remained constant and that was a comfort.

He sighed. He wasn't finding the U.S. to be as agreeable as the books. It was too different. He was too different. He was fiercely homesick, for his country, for his home, for his friends, for real football. He knew his mother hadn't had much choice but to come and live with her sister-in-law since their finances had been in such a dire state after his father's death, but that didn't make it much easier. Finding out that his father had cancelled his life insurance policy the year before and gambled away most of their savings had been a severe shock to Anne. When Jenny had generously offered a place to live, she'd leapt at it.

William knew that part of the reason she'd been so eager to go was his recent trouble at school. He'd been attacked by another boy and defended himself. As he'd attended martial arts training since he was four, as his one bonding activity with his father, the other boy had been badly hurt. He shuddered as he remembered the intense feelings of rage that had flooded him when the boy hit him. He'd lost it. He'd known logically he shouldn't use his skills for more than gaining time to get away from the situation, but years of being teased and picked on for his small frame, bookishness and seeming vulnerability had flashed through his mind in that instant and he'd snapped.

He would've been able to stop had the boy stopped getting up and coming at him. But the larger boy didn't. He kept coming and coming until he couldn't rise anymore. When William saw he'd stopped flailing at him, he came to his senses and realized what he'd done. The other boy was a mass of bruises and blood. The tally of notable injuries in the end was one broken nose, a broken jaw and two cracked ribs. As for William's condition, only the first punch had landed. He had a single visible bruise to show in his defense.

They'd gone easy on him due to the recent death of his father. It was argued that he'd never been a violent boy before. The punishment handed to him didn't bother him as much as the look of deep disappointment and worry he saw in his mother's eyes.

Moving here had made it worse, though. At least after that incident, no one had bothered him much. Here there was no such knowledge of his past, no knowledge of his capabilities. Here he was fair game again.

He bent his head to his science book again. He had a test in an hour and was getting a little last minute studying done in this free period.

The library doors burst open and slammed against the walls. A blonde blur whipped past and straight to the librarian's desk. "Giles!" The girl called loudly. "Giles, please, I need your help!" She turned and scanned the library quickly for the man she sought. Her eyes passed over William without notice.

"Buffy," Giles came out of his office, "what is all this fuss you're making? Please do try to be quiet. Others are trying to work, you know."

"I'm flunking English," she wailed at him, "and I'm going to be grounded for life when my parents find out."

Giles shook his head in consternation. "You're flunking your native tongue and you wish me to do precisely what about this now? I tried to help you earlier and was roundly refused, if I recall correctly. Something about cheerleading practice being too demanding to allow time for schoolwork."

She dumped her books loudly and carelessly on the nearest table and threw her tiny form at the desk dramatically, clutching the counter. "You have to help me. Please. I know I didn't want help before, but--" she smiled weakly and hopefully at him, "I really want it now! I'm all, you know, interested in the great literature of…darn it," she rifled through her books, "the 19th century! I have a newfound appreciation! I love--" she glanced down, "Emily Bront." she mispronounced the name horribly and Giles winced. "You can't turn a student down who's really motivated to learn, right?"

Giles adjusted his glasses. "Truly motivated to learn, by what exactly? Running up against the good grades rule on the cheerleading squad? Needing to be allowed to continue visiting that local hangout you kids go to? Not good enough." He turned and straightened something that didn't need straightening.

William listened in fascination to the scene playing out in front of him and darted occasional looks at the two participants, knowing they were completely oblivious to his presence. He knew that the girl, Buffy Summers, was one of the most popular girls in school. She was on the cheerleading squad that cheered for that nancy rugby wannabe sport team they had here.

He also knew that she was beautiful. He'd noticed her sunny, sincere smile, so unlike the others of her set and her long golden curls. William was a quiet observer of life in his new school and he'd noticed that the others participated in teasing those in the 'less fortunate' social cliques, but she never did. Oh, she didn't stand up for the kids they tormented, but she never joined in the torture and sometimes he saw her look away, a small moue of distaste upon her perfect glossy lips.

Tears were welling in her big, green eyes now. "Please, Giles," she begged softly. "I really need your help."

William didn't know why, but he couldn't bear seeing this golden girl upset. "I'll help you." He volunteered quietly and rose from his seat. They both turned in surprise to stare at him.

"You…you will?" Buffy asked hesitantly. "Really? Do you know about this…stuff?" She gestured broadly at the haphazard pile of books.

"Well, I can't read them for you, but I can help you with your assignments," William said. "I'm in the same class."

"You…oh, you are?" She flushed in embarrassment, obviously trying to remember his name and failing.

"I'm William. William Pratt," he said. "I'm new here. I don't talk much in class. I don't expect you've noticed me."

"Um, I'm Buffy Summers. It's nice to meet you, William."

"Pleasure to meet you too, Buffy." He inclined his head solemnly.

"Well then, that's settled. You've got your tutor, Buffy. I do hope you'll apply yourself." Giles grabbed a random paper and fled to his office.

"Where would you like to begin, pet?" William asked her.


	2. Kiss Me Again

_All quotes in the chapter from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (taken from an online book as I've misplaced my copy, so I hope they're accurate)_

Chapter 2 - Kiss Me Again

He was fascinated by the slender fingers of her hand as she fiddled with the pen. The shiny, pink sheen of her nail polish gave him the strangest urge to pick up her hand, take her finger into his mouth and taste it on his tongue. It looked edible, a color suited for bubble gum and candy. She brought the pen to her lips and bit it lightly, deep in thought, scanning the page she was reading. He looked down at his notes quickly.

"William?" Buffy waved said fingers in front of his face. "Where did you go?" She laughed.

He shook himself out of his daze. "Sorry, pet. Daydreaming, I guess." He pulled her notebook towards him and inspected what she'd written.

Her handwriting was bubbly and childish, like the outward behavior of the girl herself. William knew she wasn't stupid or air-headed, even from the small amount of time he'd spent with her but glimpses of the sharp-witted mind beneath the surface were few and far between. She girded herself with the mantle of the cheerful, carefree teenage future prom queen candidate and rarely let it slip.

Wuthering Heights wouldn't be on his preferred reading list by choice, but he'd read the book aloud to his bedridden grandmother the last summer he'd spent with her. They'd discussed it at length as they progressed through the novel, one of her favorites. She was a retired professor who could no longer attend her regular book club due to ill health and she missed the conversations and company. Her eyes were failing, robbing her of her favorite pastime, so she liked him to read her to sleep in the evening, the soothing cadence of his youthful, strong voice comforting her.

He sighed when he saw what Buffy had written. "You aren't serious." He made a face and read. "'Cathy was an idiot to let Heathcliff go and marry Linton. Linton wasn't nearly as hot even though he was rich. Plus he was a wimp.' This is utter rubbish and you know it." He rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses. "I meant it you know, when I said I wouldn't do your work. Won't read the books for you or write the essay." He had a sudden flash of empathy for Giles. He was beginning to understand the librarian's odd reluctance to assist Buffy.

She looked at him contritely and pouted those gorgeous lips. "I'm sorry, is it bad?"

"Oh, that's enough of that. I know you aren't dumb and I'm not either. I said I'd help you, but doing that," he jerked his thumb contemptuously at her face, "isn't going to get me to change my mind about cheating for you. So you'd better decide if you really want my help or you want to go it alone or get another tutor."

"Oh no, William, please--" She grabbed his arm and he froze, staring at her small fingers that were actually touching him. "Please don't give up on me. I can do better. It's just," she frowned, "you know we have to read them aloud in front of the class."

Suddenly, it made more sense. He thought he understood the problem. She didn't want to get up in front of her friends and sound too intelligent, like a book geek. She was trying to find a way to complete the assignment and not attract undue attention from her friends in the process. She'd erred far too much on the latter side, in his opinion. "Buffy," he said gently, "if you're going to pass, you'll need to do much better than this."

She removed her hand and he felt the loss immediately. "I know. But it's stupid and I ought to be able to say it is. Cathy was an idiot for leaving Heathcliff. She loved him and he loved her and they could've 

married and lived happily ever after instead of both missing each other to the point they were crazy and ending with both of them dead. She was an idiot," she repeated and took a breath. "I meant it when I wrote that," she looked at him defiantly.

"Well, they weren't really the happy ending sort, I think, even if they had married." William commented, amused by her ardent stream of babble.

She reached for her copy of the book and flipped through the pages. "Here," she said, "read that part. That part right before she dies, when she sees Heathcliff one last time. See, I read the book. I did."

He surprised her when he began to read it aloud, his voice low and smooth, his accent…she shivered. His accent was well, hot. Why hadn't she noticed what a great voice he had? _'He can read to me anytime,'_ she thought suddenly and was shocked at herself. _'This is William, remember? Tutor guy - focus!'_

_"You teach me now how cruel you've been - cruel and false. WHY did you despise me? WHY did you betray your own heart, Cathy? I have not one word of comfort. You deserve this. You have killed yourself. Yes, you may kiss me, and cry; and wring out my kisses and tears: they'll blight you - they'll damn you. You loved me - then what RIGHT had you to leave me? What right - answer me - for the poor fancy you felt for Linton? Because misery and degradation, and death, and nothing that God or Satan could inflict would have parted us, YOU, of your own will, did it. I have not broken your heart - YOU have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine. So much the worse for me that I am strong. Do I want to live? What kind of living will it be when you - oh, God! would YOU like to live with your soul in the grave?"_

"See! Heathcliff agrees with me that she's stupid," Buffy said, feeling justified by the passage, "He's really mad at her and it's obvious he agrees with me and HE even loves her!"

"Oh, but he's not most angry with her for his own sake, pet, he forgives her that - more for hers and he doesn't say she's stupid, he calls her cruel and betrayer. She betrayed herself as well as him when she married Edgar. See here..." William read on a few lines below her selection.

_"It is hard to forgive, and to look at those eyes, and feel those wasted hands,' he answered. 'Kiss me again; and don't let me see your eyes! I forgive what you have done to me. I love MY murderer - but YOURS! How can I?"_

William said the phrase, 'kiss me again' and Buffy leaned towards him unconsciously. He should do that for a living, she thought, impressed. Maybe be one of those guys who records books or something. The words flowed effortlessly and he imbued the words with such passion.

Buffy straightened and grabbed the book back from him, finding the line she wanted. "I'm not the only one who thinks she's a moron. Nelly hates her too! She wishes her dead!"

_"She's fainted, or dead,' I thought: 'so much the better. Far better that she should be dead, than lingering a burden and a misery-maker to all about her."_

He laughed at her fervor and she flushed and glared at him, stung, thinking he was laughing at her.

"Not laughing at you, luv," he explained. "See? You can get into a passionate discussion about the book. You just need to put it into uh…fancier wording, yeah? You could choose to do a character study on Catherine and how stupid and selfish she was and how it affected those around her. Something like that anyway."

"I can't believe you don't think she's an idiot." Buffy said, tapping her pen in irritation.

He was getting his books together, the bell was about to ring. "Never said I didn't! I do think she's an idiot. Not one of my favorite characters." He smirked at her and left. "See you later."

That smile was bone melting, Buffy thought. He had a really nice smile. She reconsidered her wording, no, not nice, sexy. But reconciling William, of the floppy, curly hair and glasses, and 'sexy' was too much for her. She shrugged it off and ran to class.

oooooooooooo

William could still feel the imprint of her fingers on his arm as he hurried away. Ponce, he thought disgustedly, but the uneasy feeling stayed with him as he slid into his seat before the second bell rang and he could still feel her touch lingering...


	3. A Little History

The next day, to William's surprise, Buffy caught up to him as he left history, which they also shared. "William, wait!" She said, falling in beside him as he walked down the hall. He stopped.

"Hi Buffy." He wondered what she could want. It wasn't time for their study session yet and she'd never spoken to him outside of the library in the four days since he'd started tutoring her.

"Hey--look, I can't come during sixth period today. I have to catch up with Cordy on some stuff for cheerleading. We're planning a new routine and she can't do it after school…you don't care, but--" Buffy babbled.

William was surprised at the amount of disappointment he felt at this announcement. Admittedly, he'd been thrilled that the other day they'd been given a two week extension to work on their oral report projects, because it meant there'd be more time spent with Buffy, whose company he was enjoying very much, but he hadn't realized how much he'd miss it when she didn't need him anymore. He still had very few friends at school, due to his shyness, and the time he spent with her in the library was fast becoming his favorite part of the day.

"Anyway, can you?" She finished breathlessly.

"Erm, sorry, what? Can I what?" William stammered, caught out in his inattentiveness.

She gave him an odd look. "Can you come to my house after school?" She prodded him, "You know, to study, since I can't make it sixth period?"

"Oh! Sure, pet. Of course, I can do that. You'll have to give me the address." He said calmly, as inside the disappointment eased at the fact that they'd still be meeting today.

"Oh, um…" Buffy smiled at him hopefully, "I was kinda hoping you'd offer to drive me home. You have a car, right? That way it's all simple, right? You take me and I don't need to write directions. Buffy and directions are non-mixy. One of the reasons I don't drive. I always end up not counting a light or forgetting a turn and getting people hopelessly lost. I could probably get you REALLY lost, because you know, you're new here and you wouldn't be familiar with the roads and all..." She took a breath. "I'm babbling again."

"Yeah, you are." He smiled. "They do have such things as online maps now, you know. They help quite a bit with that sort of thing."

She looked at him shrewdly, "You probably think I'm not that bright, huh?"

The 'huh' must've shown on his face because she continued, "With the constant babbling thing."

"Oh, no!" He smiled again, "Just think you may be a bit highly caffeinated, pet."

A broad smile lit her face, "Yeah…nope! No artificial substances needed. It's a natural kind of hyper!"

"Probably what makes you such a good cheerleader. All that bottled enthusiasm." He told her mock seriously.

"Yep!" She said smugly. "No energy shortage here! So," she prompted him, "the ride?"

"Of course, I can give you a ride. Not a problem. Where do you want to meet?"

"Oh," she hesitated for a split second, thinking, "How about the north side entrance?" She named the exit near the small teachers' lot where students didn't usually linger.

He gave her a look that told her he knew what she was thinking and she squirmed a little guiltily under his scrutiny, but he said, "Fine, I'll be there after last bell."

"Ok! Thanks! See you then!" And she was off down the hall.

oooooooooooo

William swung the heavy passenger side door to the Desoto open for Buffy.

Buffy couldn't believe how clean the car was. No fast food wrappers and discarded soda cans for this boy. The outside was black and well cared for too, the chrome shining brightly in the afternoon sun. It was a strange car for someone their age to have, really, and very different from the BMWs and sports cars Buffy was used to riding in. "Interesting car," she said, "and it's so neat! Where did you get it?"

"I'm not a slob." He laughed. "And anyway, it's not mine. It belongs to my uncle. My aunt's just letting me drive it."

"Doesn't your uncle mind?" Buffy asked. "I mean, it looks like he really loves it."

"No." William paused. "Well, I don't know if he minds or not as he's not around to mention it."

"Oh," Buffy was horrified at herself and she asked in a low tone, "I'm sorry--" She hadn't gotten the impression from his words that the man was dead, but she was distressed to bring up a sore topic.

"Oh no, pet, it's nothing like that." William drummed his fingers on the steering wheel a moment, then slipped the car into reverse and backed up carefully. "Well, at least I don't think so. He disappeared about four months ago. Went out to the store and never came back kind of thing."

"Oh, your poor aunt!" Buffy said. "So she has no idea what happened to him?"

"No. The car was found at the airport about a week after she reported him missing, but there wasn't any record of him taking a flight. So we don't know what happened." William shrugged and pulled out of the parking lot. "Aunt Jenny said I could use the car. He loved it a lot, rebuilt it himself, so I'm trying to take good care of it for him in case he comes back."

Buffy was silent. After a moment, she pointed the way to turn and said, "So you live with your aunt, then?"

"Yeah, and my mum." William said, not offering any more detail.

Buffy wasn't dissuaded, however, "So you came here from England to live with her and help her out?"

William raised an eyebrow at her. She hadn't shown any interest in his background before. Maybe she was just making polite conversation.

"Something like that," he responded quietly. "My father died a couple of months ago. My uncle is my mother's brother, so Jenny's not related to us by blood or anything, but she and my mum have always gotten along well. They're helping each other out, basically," he finished, turning onto a new street at her prompting wave.

"Oh," Buffy said softly. "That must be so hard for you. I'm so sorry."

William's face remained impassive. He didn't look back at her, keeping his eyes firmly focused on the road. "Yeah," was all he said, obviously closing the topic.

Buffy was suddenly grateful for the boring normalcy of her own family. Even her bratty sister, Dawn, was looking pretty good right now. She often felt stifled by her father's expectations of her and both parents' strict rules, but at the moment all she wanted was to give him a hug. She thought about how awful it would be to lose him and have to start over in a new place in such a short amount of time.

Buffy was at a loss for words. That never happened. She looked out the window and they drove the rest of the way in silence.

o o o

Buffy rummaged through her bag for her keychain then swung the bag back onto her shoulder when it was finally located. "Can never find anything in there," she muttered apologetically. She inserted the key and opened the door. "Come on in."

He followed her into the living room.

"Oh good," she said, "Dawn's not home. No loud boy bands playing and no television on." She dumped her book bag on the coffee table. "Go ahead, sit. Want a drink?"

"Coke please, if you have it," he answered.

"Yeah, sure. Be right back." She left, heading for the kitchen.

William didn't sit immediately. He wandered around the room, taking in the pictures of Buffy, and presumably her sister at various stages of their childhood. A bitty, pigtailed Buffy in a yellow sundress clutching a doll and smiling happily at whoever had taken the picture made him grin. She was adorable even then, he thought, a little bundle of sunshine. Another one had caught her mid-leap in a pale blue skating costume. A few trophies surrounded this picture, like a small altar to Skating Buffy. He wondered if she still skated. Looking at the dates on the trophies, he didn't think so.

He walked back to the comfortable couch and sat at one end, not wanting her to think he was snooping. Her house was warm and pleasant, just like the girl. Nothing too extravagant or flashy, it was decidedly mid to upper middle class, with the focus on being cozy. Everything had obviously been chosen with comfort and cheer in mind, not only looks, though nothing was shabby or cheap looking.

Buffy walked back out of the kitchen with the drinks in hand. "Here you go," she set it in front of him and walked around to perch in the middle of the couch. They had a test in history the following day so they were going to work on that for a change.

o o o

"How come you know more of my country's history than I do?" Buffy complained, pouting at him, having just flunked his first round of questions.

He laughed, "This time I am laughing at you a little. Just a little, though." He settled the book on his thigh. "Don't know. How are you on world history?" He teased. "I have noticed that's been lumped into one course for next year, so perhaps course makeup is part of the problem." He grinned. "Lot of history to be packing into one year of classes, that is. Interesting choice. Got a whole year for American History and your country hasn't even been around all that long. It's a baby, relatively speaking."

She smacked his arm lightly. "Don't be mocking my country, sir. We kicked your country's--"

The front door banged open.

He put his arm up defensively, smiling. "Hey, not mocking, pet, just pointing out that it's young and yet receiving the same amount of class time as the, oh, entire history of the rest of the world."

He recognized the gawky, brown haired girl as Buffy's sister from the pictures as she thumped into the room, dropping her things and shoving her sister over rudely as she flopped onto the couch. She picked up the remote and turned the television on.

"Well…we're important!" Buffy said somewhat lamely, then turned to the girl. "Dawn! What are you doing?"

Dawn looked at her and a condescending expression formed on her face as she spoke very slowly, enunciating each word carefully as if to a small child, "I am watching television."

"No, you're not!" Buffy's voice got louder. "We're studying here. You can't just come in and interrupt us-"

Dawn looked around the room pointedly, "Not stopping you, you can stay. Just sitting here minding my own business. You can still study," she said, even as her thumb pressed the increase volume button on the remote.

"No we can't! Who could think with that on that loud?" Buffy protested.

"Please, Buffy," Dawn retorted, "I've heard you blast your music before when you're studying. Noise never seemed to bother you then."

Buffy exploded. "That's when I'm ALONE and don't need to hear anybody else talking." She fumed at her sister.

"Maybe we could go in the kitchen?" William suggested.

"No, sound carries in there, we won't be able to think at all and Dad's study is off limits. C'mon," Buffy gathered her book, notebook and pens. She shot her sister a look, "We'll just go upstairs and leave her to her obnoxious show."

"Ohhhh! Boy in your room! Buffy Anne, I'm so telling on you!" Dawn crowed, gleeful at the prospect.

"Not a boy!" Buffy shouted, "It's William, he's my tutor!" She entirely missed William's slight flinch at this, but Dawn's sharp eyes did not and she eyed him with newfound interest. "If you mention anything, I'll just be forced to expose your sneaking out last Friday." Buffy continued smugly.

Dawn gasped. "You wouldn't dare!" She screeched. "I just wanted to go to the movies and Mom wouldn't let me!"

"I SO would," Buffy stated firmly. "Anyway, you're pathetic at sneaking out," she sniffed, "make MORE noise getting to the tree, why don't you."

"Maybe I should take lessons from you!" Dawn sputtered somewhat ineffectively and settled back deep in the couch cushions with a huff and a pout, conceding the argument.

William had stood by uncomfortably during this exchange, but he nearly laughed aloud at the pout. "That's one thing they have in common," he thought.

"So," Buffy said sweetly, "Let's go, William." She led him up the stairs to her room.

o o o

He sat uncomfortably, at her bidding, on the edge of her bed, while she sprawled on it next to him. Her desk was too cluttered to hold all of their materials, so she'd dubbed the bed the best spot. It wasn't only 

her desk that was cluttered. Every surface or fixture that could hold clothing had something strewn over it carelessly. Her bed hadn't been made when they entered the room and she'd pulled the duvet up and smoothed it hastily before settling onto the bed. She'd also tossed a few filmy unmentionables in her hamper before showing him in. "Sorry about the mess," she'd said offhandedly and made no further explanation.

Her room was, besides being messy, in a strange sort of transitional state, seeming trapped between childhood and adulthood. The wallpaper was a pastel pink floral stripe and a pile of stuffed animals sat on a chair, but the clothing visible was anything but childish or reserved. The small halter tops and miniskirts of which she was so fond were scattered everywhere in their multicolored glory. The duvet on which she currently reclined had a more sophisticated print than the wall; it was a soft, silky white fabric with a more delicate gold floral pattern covering it.

He'd stumbled over a lone black high heeled shoe as they made their way to the bed and she'd merely said, "Oops," and tossed it carelessly into the closet. That shoe wasn't childish at all.

He gradually relaxed somewhat and continued quizzing her for the upcoming test. She hadn't failed the second round, she'd done much better actually and he realized that while the dates didn't seem to stick in her head at all, easily anyway, she was good at remembering the people, events and the circumstances that led up to them. He hammered in the dates a few more times until she was able to parrot them back satisfactorily.

When it was his turn, Buffy noted with annoyance that he could answer everything straightaway, no hesitation or additional thinking required.

He saw her disgruntled look and smiled, saying carefully, "After all, pet, helping you did burn the stuff firmly in my mind too, yeah?"

She smiled back at him, appreciating that he didn't make her feel stupid for not knowing as much as he did. Unlike some people, she thought ruefully, but got off that train of thought in a hurry.

When they were finished, she thanked him as she always did and showed him to the door. As the door shut behind him, Dawn commented neutrally, "He likes you."

"What? No…no he doesn't," Buffy said, confused. "He's just helping me out. He took pity on me."

"He calls you pet," Dawn said, matter-of-factly.

"He calls everyone pet." Buffy replied defensively. Did he? Buffy tried to remember hearing him ever say it to anyone else. She couldn't, but she realized she hadn't heard him talk to anyone else, so it wasn't a good standard to go by. "He's just my tutor," Buffy repeated her earlier statement firmly.

"Whatever." Dawn rolled the lollipop she was licking around a few times and spoke around it. "He so likes you. He's nicer than Angel." With that, she turned her back on her flustered sister and went back to watching television.

No, no he doesn't like me, Buffy thought. He'sjust a decent person and…she thought truthfully to herself, maybe a little lonely here. She screwed up her face in thought. He doesn't like me….does he?


End file.
